Prosecutor: Mom lied about being doctor, faked son's cancer

CINCINNATI (AP) - Prosecutors are accusing a woman of child abuse and other crimes, saying her preschool-age son was treated by a hospital with opioids and received unnecessary medical care after she pretended to be a doctor and falsely claimed he had cancer.

A Hamilton County prosecutor told jurors Tuesday at the trial of Monika Burgett that she convinced doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center that she was a doctor while they cared for her 3-year-old son.

Assistant Prosecutor Anne Flanagan said Burgett also used the GoFundMe fundraising website to raise $40,000 on his behalf. Burgett had the boy's eyebrows and head shaved and then took photos of him to post on the site, Flanagan said.

Besides child abuse, Burgett is on trial for felonious assault and telecommunications fraud.

Dr. Robert Shapiro testified that Burgett "became a member of the health care team" as her son was treated with drugs including Oxycodone and methadone, the Cincinnati Enquirer (http://cin.ci/2uoHIwu ) reported. Doctors eventually suspected her of lying about the boy's symptoms and reported her to the county's family services.

Her lawyer, M.J. Hugan, said Burgett did lie about being a doctor but said her son had many medical problems since he was born premature and she was trying to get help for him. Hugan said Burgett had been with a former husband while he was going through medical school.

"At some point, she adopted the idea that she was a physician," Hugan said.

The now-5-year-old boy was removed from Burgett's custody in 2016. Court records show that as of mid-June he lives with his father in Texas.